Everything must change from top to bottom

Öncü Durmuş

We spoke with the LEFT Party spokesperson Önder İşleyen about the social unrest that began on 19 March, how the resistance can continue moving forward, the LEFT Party's education campaign, and the ongoing constitutional and procedural debates that remain at the forefront of the national agenda.

First of all, since 19 March, while the resistance has continued, the government has also continued its operations with new waves. How do you assess the current situation? 

The March resistance was an expression of the desire of the vast majority of society, especially young people and women, to get rid of the current government.

There are widespread dynamics of resistance in society against attempts to establish American-style political Islamism. The March resistance rose out of the struggles of pensioners, workers, and women, passing through TEKEL and Gezi. The unity of this popular resistance and action, strengthened by the participation of young people, was the final sign that the political Islamist regime was doomed to defeat.

Although the political Islamist regime is trying to stay in power by relying on the repressive forces it has seized, such as the police and the judiciary, it is gradually losing its support in society. KONDA's latest research also reveals that, despite years of religious pressure and the encirclement of all institutions and social life, especially education, by sects and communities, there is a growing trend of young people turning away from religion.

Those in power are seeking a way out of this crisis by intensifying their oppression. In the previous long period, they implemented and maintained this regime through various tricks and tyranny. Today, the country is being transformed into a totalitarianism where elections have been effectively abolished after the parliament and laws. To this end, they are carrying out new waves of operations one after another to break the effectiveness of the March resistance. On the other hand, the groundwork is being laid for a trustee to be appointed to the CHP...

This is a new phase in the attempt to neutralise the opposition through pressure and chaos… On the other end of the spectrum, there is an attempt to fragment the opposition through constitutional fraud… More pressure and more promises of democracy are being reflected as two sides of the same coin to different segments of society. The opposition front must develop its struggle in response to these moves.

LET'S STAY AWAY FROM ANY KIND OF TRICKERY THAT WILL EXTEND THE LIFE OF THE REGIME

The call for a new constitution has been on the agenda a lot lately. How will the constitutional debate be a test for the opposition in the coming period?

The gradual establishment of the political Islamist regime was also achieved through constitutional amendments. As a result of the opposition's decision to support the ruling party in the 2010 referendum, with some factions choosing ‘not enough but yes’ and others opting for a boycott, the way was paved for the takeover of key state institutions, particularly the judiciary. This constitutional amendment sought to establish legitimacy by spreading the illusion within the opposition that it was ‘settling accounts with 12 September’...

The transition to a one-man regime in 2017 took place under the state of emergency created by taking advantage of the 15 July coup attempt, as a result of the YSK (Supreme Election Board) declaring unsealed ballots valid. As we recall, this process began with Bahçeli's statement that ‘the de facto situation must be brought into line with the constitution’...

Today, a constitutional amendment is being proposed to make permanent the political Islamist regime that could have been established with these two constitutional amendments but has not yet taken root, and to close all avenues for reversal.

No one expects this government to draft a constitution that will enable democratic, brotherly coexistence among peoples... A constitution drafted during the period we are currently experiencing, in an environment where saying ‘no’ was effectively prohibited under martial law by the 12 September junta, where soldiers stood guard at the ballot boxes, and where the colour of the votes cast was revealed by ‘blue envelopes’ , the constitution was approved with over 90% of the vote (!).

For all opposition movements, for everyone who engages in politics on behalf of the workers and the oppressed of this country, the shared responsibility is to stay away from any kind of fraudulent initiative that could prolong the life of this regime, starting with the constitution…

TAKING THE STRUGGLE ONE STEP FURTHER

The LEFT Party is currently focusing on establishing a platform around the slogan ‘We will change.’ What is the LEFT Party aiming to achieve with this campaign?

The LEFT Party has pursued a united popular opposition policy both during and before the March resistance. We will continue our struggle as an active and responsible subject of this opposition front, which brings together many different segments of society against this regime.

This struggle must also be multiplied within the new lines of struggle around the rising demands of society. The struggles of young people who have taken to the streets from their universities, as well as the demands of women and workers, are rising as demands that call for radical transformation, not limited to ending the current one-man regime. In fact, people who have taken to the streets to take control of their own destiny are objecting to others making decisions about their lives. Opposition to the one-man regime is also based on a rejection of a kind of elitist politics, which is why students are now trying to assert their right to speak by establishing ÖTKs in universities... On the other hand, there are very important, deep-rooted problems created by the capitalist system of exploitation that are also fuelling this resistance.

Education and healthcare have been completely commercialised, and basic rights have been taken away from people through private schools and hospitals... Millions of people who earn their living through labour often take on huge debts so that their children can access quality education. But in the end, in an environment where merit has been eliminated and injustice reigns through interviews and codes, the future of young people is being stolen… A similar situation applies to healthcare. Even getting an appointment has become an issue, and even if one does get an appointment, it is almost impossible for those without sufficient funds to access fast and quality treatment... Pensioners are being left to die, and it is impossible for them to even earn a living wage... Moreover, care and housing services for pensioners, as well as social rights for all segments of society, represent a vital loss. A massive plunder continues, from food inflation caused by the liquidation of agriculture through local and foreign companies to the squandering of all the country's resources... This is accompanied by a major reactionary siege, with sects being activated at all levels of the state and even the Civil Code being attempted to be abolished...

In the face of these deep-rooted issues, which we have outlined, and whose solutions can only be achieved through revolutionary transformation, the SOL Party is striving to establish a line of opposition. Our problems will not end with the removal of the one-man regime… The struggle will continue in new forms as a fight to secure our rights and freedoms. Advancing today's social struggle also necessitates the creation of a comprehensive programme of change that unites the demand for change, as well as the founding ideas and actions of Turkey, starting today.

EMBRACING THE CALL FOR REVOLUTION

Since 19 March, we have seen opposition forces, including the mainstream opposition, turn their attention to the streets to a greater extent. Perhaps the most significant outcome of this process has been the return of the people to the political stage as protagonists. At this point, where does the LEFT Party position itself in relation to the opposition forces? 

The LEFT Party is part of this broad opposition front, of course with its own distinct characteristics. In the coming days, it will be important to strengthen the united ground of the opposition against the ruling party's multiple attacks. But at the same time, there will be a need to bring the opposition out from a single point, to spread and multiply it, to find new and creative forms for it... In this sense, the LEFT Party will aim to mobilise society around its own issues, to create new common areas of struggle and new lines of action along these axes, and to spread them.

Such a struggle should also be seen as an effort to establish new axes of organisation and unity for these revolutionary resistance tendencies. For we also need to find ways to make our unity in the squares permanent. By transforming this great dynamism that comes together in some streets and squares into organised forces in the workplace, in the neighbourhood, in the university... in every area of life, we can truly change this life. We must strive to develop grassroots initiatives and organise an open struggle to create different forms of grassroots organisation for the mass movement. This is actually about embracing the revolutionary legacy of the country, from DEV-GENÇ to ÖTK, and building our own struggle, especially among young people and everyone who resists, in response to the call for revolution...

HAVING NO FUTURE IS A PROBLEM FOR THE WHOLE SOCIETY

On the other hand, the first phase of the campaign was announced under the heading of education. Why did you start the campaign with education?

Education is one of the most important issues today... It has turned into a gateway to unemployment and lack of future for young people. Years of hard work are put in, and education is completed with loans and debts. In the end, what remains are diplomas with no real value. Young people either end up unemployed or lack the means to pursue the professions they were educated for. A significant portion of them are trying to migrate abroad amid a wave of despair. The majority who lack such opportunities are drowning in the vortex of unemployment or exploitative labour conditions.

Education has turned into an area of exploitation. In this exploitative system established by Ministers of National Education who own private schools, public schools are entirely left under the control of sects. In this field, there is now a two-pronged siege: on the one hand, the deepening of reactionary forces through the Maarif Model, and on the other, the exploitation of children starting with MESEMs... There are also piecemeal struggles against these, and we are part of those struggles.

However, we believe that what is needed is a struggle targeting the root cause of all these problems—the very foundation of education, which has been commodified and designed as an instrument of exploitation. Opposition movements can only strengthen their support within society by acknowledging the issues in these areas and demonstrating their solutions… Because this is an issue affecting the entire society…

Note: This text has been translated from the original Turkish version titled Tepeden tırnağa her şey değişmeli, published in BirGün newspaper on June 1, 2025.